Let me start by thanking the Franklin Women's Club and the Franklin Park Library for being so well organized and hosting such a wonderful event on Saturday for Knitting in Public Day.

We sat under the overhang out front and inside, and had an enjoyable day chatting, sharing knitting and crochet techniques and comparing patterns.

Stephanie Michaels of Prevent Child Abuse NJ and I brought patterns for baby hats, but many of the folks who came had their own. Stephanie also brought a big supply of purple yarn, which the participants put to good use.

Some of the women who came to our Knitting in Public Day Stitch-A-Thon at the Franklin Park Library sat inside, where it was a lot cooler.(Photo: Pamela MacKenzie/Staff Photo)

I brought 208 hats that you had made and sent to me, and a couple of readers brought another 42 hats, so our In Stitches contribution to the effort was exactly 250 hats.

All of the hats that Women's Club members brought and all of the hats that were made at the event went into a separate collection so that the Women's Club could report that total to its federation.

Many women stopped by for a little while, dropping off hats, picking up patterns and yarn, and asking if the hats they were making were OK. About 30 minutes to closing time, Pat Pavol, president of the Bridgewater Women's Club, stopped by to see what we were doing. She was able to take some yarn for her group, too.

Buy Photo

Stephanie Michael, seated, and Margaux Taylor, both from Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey, brought plenty of purple yarn to our Stitch-A-Thon at the Franklin Park Library on June 10.(Photo: Pamela MacKenzie/Staff Photo)

The purple baby hats will all go to the Prevent Child Abuse NJ and the Click for Babies campaign to teach parents to not shake their babies when they cry uncontrollably. If you want more information about this project, go to www.clickforbabies.org.

Chemo caps delivered; make more

On Monday, June 12, I went to Hunterdon Medical Center with about 75 chemo caps, most of them made by you.

I stopped by the Hunterdon County Library to pick up the ones that some of you have left there, but the librarian who has been saving them for me, Cheryl Grotian, wasn't in. So I'll pick those hats up next time. In the meantime, 75 patients at that hospital will be able to wear our hats this summer, and that's a wonderful thing.

I noticed that a lot of you are not using cotton yarn, though. Please consider using cotton yarn if you can. I know that knitting with Lilly Sugar 'n Cream or one of those other kitchen cotton yarns can be hard on your hands, but you can mitigate that by using bamboo or plastic needles.

Or you can invest in a cotton yarn that is a bit more expensive and softer, something like Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton, which is really a pleasure to knit. Cotton is the best fiber for chemo patients because it is the least irritating to their skin.

I am hoping we can collect more hats soon that I can bring them to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in the Basking Ridge section of Bernards. I know a few of you have some hats that you are holding for me, and I appreciate it.

Don't forget that at 7:05 p.m. Aug. 17, we're going to have our annual Stitch & Pitch game at TD Bank Ballpark, and we will have free cotton yarn for you to knit or crochet chemo caps.

All hats will go to this year's chosen hospitals, Hunterdon Medical Center and Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. There will be fireworks after the game. More about this next week.

Blankets for babies in foster care

Last week, I shared with you that the Division on Child Protection and Permanency, formerly DYFUS, needs receiving blankets or baby blankets for infants surrendered to their care.

I've already had a couple of readers express some interest in this project. And a few people want knitting or crochet lessons so they can help us make things. I want to thank all of these responders.

I'm not really available to teach you to knit or crochet, but I do come to the Bridgewater Library on the first Thursday of the month, and I'll be glad to help you as much as I can there.

Last week, we had three teenagers show up to learn to knit. One stuck with knitting while her sister decided to crochet, and their friend, who already knew a bit about knitting, was fine on her own. That's good because I am best at one-on-one lessons. We also have others in the group who were available to help you learn either craft.

If the Bridgewater Library isn't convenient, let me know where you are and I'll try to match you with a group that offers to help new members learn to knit or crochet.